Area schools still have ‘snow days’ in the bank

January is reaching its midpoint, meaning winter in roughly half over, and schools still have plenty of snow days left in their caches.

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

January is reaching its midpoint, meaning winter in roughly half over, and schools still have plenty of snow days left in their caches. “So far we’ve used 2 ½ snow days, so I would say we’re in pretty good shape,” said Fred Osborn, Inland Lakes Schools’ superintendent. “You never want to speak too soon when it comes to Michigan winters, but we’re doing pretty good I think.”Districts don’t get a specific allotment of ‘snow days’ per year. Instead they get 30 act of God hours, which can be used for anything from inclement weather to sickness. On a rare occasion districts are forced to close because of rampant illness, but overwhelmingly act of God hours are used as ‘snow days’.December and January are usually tough months for area districts. Winter hits in full force and almost inevitably a few storms choke back-roads with snow, forcing districts to close. This year has been light in that regard. Minus a major storm before Christmas break, winter has been devoid of significant snowstorms. Icy roads have forced the other closures.“We’ve been pretty lucky again this year,” said Mark Dombroski, Cheboygan Area Schools’ superintendent. “We have only had to use two snow days and we get about five, so we’re looking good.”Everything looks good right now, but that picture will change quickly if winter suddenly turns old fashioned.Snow is possible in the coming days, but accumulation is expected to be limited.“We always keep on eye on that, but we’re looking pretty good for the next week or so, right now at least,” said Dombroski. If winter suddenly bears its teeth and districts blow through their remaining act of God hours, they still must complete the 1,098 hours necessary for a full school year.“We need to finish those 1,098 hours,” said Osborn. “It works out to about 180 or 181 days depending on the district. Those hours directly affect funding, so if a district cuts out one day, that 180th of their funding. That’s a lot.”There are generally three options for districts that exceed their 30-hour act of God limit. First, use extra hours built into the calendar, such as eliminating mid-winter break. Second, add minutes to the remaining school days to make up for lost hours. Third, add on days at the end of the school year. The first and third are the most common.Both ILS and CAS have built extra hours into this years calendar. If things get nasty, an extra day could get them out of extending the school year. If things continue to go smoothly, an extra day off in May is always well received.“We put an extra day into the schedule the Friday before Memorial Day,” explained Osborn. “We’re planning on having school, but if we don’t use all of our snow days, we’ll announce in early May that we won’t be having school that day.”